An Odd Twist in Life
by zeurin
Summary: Ok, so the gang defeat Naraku, but Sango is still sad because that doesn't change the fact that her brother is still dead. So what happens when she meets a certain someone in the forest? SangoXBankotsu... Oneshot!


Sango panted hard as she rested her knees briefly on the ground. Even though she only rested for a split second, a root from Naraku's body came whipping her way. "Sango!" Kagome cried. Sango looked up and quickly dodged the root and sliced it in half with her katana. She inhaled sharply. That was too close for comfort.

"Are you ready?" Inuyasha yelled at them, holding his Tessaiga high above his head. Sango, Kagome, and Miroku all nodded, determined to once and for all destroy the man who had caused so much pain in their lives.

"Wind Tunnel!" Miroku exclaimed, sucking up most of Naraku's body in his hand. _This is for cursing my family with the Wind Tunnel! _He thought grimly.

"Wind scar!" Inuyasha exclaimed, hitting Naraku with a powerful blast from his sword. _This is for killing Kikyo. _He thought, scowling. Naraku winced from the attacks and tried to escape, but Kagome stopped him.

"Oh, no you don't!" She said angrily, "Sacred Arrow!" She exclaimed, releasing an arrow that glowed pink with its pure aura. _This is for trying to kill me all those times. _Naraku's eyes widened as the arrow came straight at him and tried to dodge it but it was too late and it hit him in the chest. He moaned in pain and collapsed down on the ground, heavily injured now.

_One more strike and he's dead! _Thought Sango happily. _And this is for Kohako! _She thought as she fiercely swung herHiraikotsu at Naraku, cutting him in half.

"Nooooo!!!" Naraku screamed as black light came streaming from his cuts. Suddenly, there was an explosion and white light blinded them all. When her vision returned, Sango could see Naraku's remains on the ground and a light pink orb drifted from his body in the air. Sango quickly dived for the Shikon Jewel and caught it in her hand. She tucked it inside her inner garments for safety.

Everyone was stunned. They all stared at one another in amazement. "We did it." Kagome said softly, "I can't believe that we've finally killed Naraku."

"Not so fast, Kagome," Inuyasha said and stared worriedly at Miroku's wind tunnel. Everyone's eyes drifted to his hand. The seconds went by. Nothing happened. Kagome's hands clenched into fists. Inuyasha sighed, "Maybe he didn't die after all… Maybe he was just wounded…"

Sango sighed and looked away. _All that hard work for nothing._ She thought, disappointed. _Now we're going to have to face him again. _Her face drooped with sadness. But wait- she saw a flash of blue-black in the corner of her eye."Wait!" Sango exclaimed, grabbing Miroku's hand in a way she hoped seemed casual. Miroku removed the beads and opened the palm of his hand, everyone crowding around to watch. No one even dared to breathe. Sucking sounds came from the wind tunnel as it absorbed small pieces of loose rocks and leaves. The wind tunnel was hardly even big enough to make their hair blow. And, it still got smaller and smaller and smaller until all that remained of the wind tunnel was a small crack. Shippo watched with fascination from his spot behind a tree where Kagome had made him hide while they had faced Naraku. Excited, Shippo ran out from his hiding spot to the others who crowded around Miroku.

The monk gasped at his hand, almost unbelievingly, "My hand! The Wind tunnel! It's finally gone! I have finally got rid of the family curse!" His hand trembled as he felt the smooth skin on it where there should have been the Wind Tunnel. He held his breath for a moment then let it out, his face glowing and his dark eyes bright. "We did it!" He exclaimed, "We killed Naraku!!!" Kagome, Inuyasha, and Shippo cheered along with him.

Tears appeared to flow out of Kagome's eyes, "I can't believe it…" She muttered softly. The tears in her eyes now rapidly flowed down like a waterfall, "Yes!!!" She yelled, grabbing Inuyasha in a tight hug. Slightly embarrassed, she let go of him quickly and embraced Sango as well.

Sango hugged Kagome back with a sigh and pretended to smile and cheer along with the others. Inside, however she was sad. "Is anything wrong, Sango-chan?" Kagome asked with a slight frown at her friend.

Sango faked a smile, "No, I'm fine, Kagome-chan," She said, "It's just that maybe this whole thing is too much… I think I'm going to go for a walk… I need to think."

Kagome nodded, understanding. Miroku, on the other hand, didn't understand. He 'accidentally' let his hand slip, groping Sango's bottom, "Now that Naraku is dead, we can finally be together." He said, grinning pervertedly, "Need some company on that walk?"

Sango's face turned red. He was so inconsiderate! She was heart broken right now and all he could think of was her butt! Her eyes glaring daggers, she slapped him hard in the face and stomped off into the forest. Her beloved pet, Kirara tried to follow her, but Sango quietly dismissed her. She needed to be alone, completely alone. Sango could hear snickers from Shippo behind her saying, "You're such a fool, Miroku!"

The taijiya sighed as she reached refuge in the canopy of evergreen trees, still frosty from winter. She shivered slightly but kept walking. It felt so strange to her that Naraku was dead. She had seeked revenged from Naraku but now after achieving it, revenge wasn't as sweet as she thought it would be. In a way, she was slightly disappointed. Now where were they supposed to go? Were her friends going to split up? There was no reason for them to still travel together if there was no Naraku to pursue. Sango closed her eyes and quickly shook that thought out of her head. _No, I should be happy that Naraku is dead. He killed my brother after all. _Tears filled her big brown eyes as she thought about Kohako. She missed him so bad. He was the only person she really cared about and he now was gone. Sango felt like she had no one now. Not even her friends knew how it felt like. Inuyasha seeked revenge on Naraku for killing his former lover, Kikyo, but now he had found a new lover, Kagome, and besides, Kikyo was resurrected so her death didn't bother him that much. Miroku had lost his father but that had been a long while ago and it probably didn't hurt that bad anymore. And Kagome had never lost anyone. Out of all of them, Sango had lost the most. She lost her family, her whole village, her home, and now her beloved brother.

Her tears spilled all over her black and pink demon slayer outfit as she mourned for her loved ones. Angrily, she wiped them away with her sleeve. _It's over. I've avenged their deaths… There's nothing more I can do for them. _She sighed and kept on walking, her feet unconsciously gliding her through the gnarled roots covering the ground. She must have been walking for hours, but she wasn't sure of the time. All Sango knew was that when she started on her walk, it was morning and now it was sunset. She sighed as she rested right below a tall pine tree, smelling the relaxing scent of pine needles high above her head. A bird chirped and a squirrel twittered. Sango was at peace right now with nature. She got up and closed her eyes briefly, deeply breathing in the fresh air that you couldn't get anywhere but deep in a forest. _I should get back to the others. _She thought, opening her eyes warily, _They must be worried. _Sango reached into her clothes and pulled out the Shikon Jewel that had been nestled in her clothing under her breast band. The girl glanced around in case there was someone after the jewel nearby. There wasn't.

Sango glanced east where the others were, but she couldn't bring herself to head that way. She still needed some more time to think things over and she didn't need their sympathy…

Bankotsu walked through the forest, slowly, for he was dying… again… The mercenary clamped his dark eyes shut for a split second before opening them again. No, he couldn't die… He didn't want to go back there again. Just the thought of going back to the great darkness of nothing was too much for him to bear. He didn't want to die, but he didn't have a choice. Naraku had taken his jewel shards away, but instead of instantly killing him, the filthy half demon had decided to let him die slowly and painfully but giving him a blast of power that granted him temporary life for say, a day or two. But Bankotsu's life was fading. With every step he took, his heart beat slower and his life was draining. _No! No! This can't be happening! _He thought angrily. _Damn you Naraku! I won't die! _But he knew that that was a lie. He was going to die soon… really soon. The mercenary clutched on to his Banryu, but it grew heavy all of a sudden. He frowned. It had never felt anything heavier than a feather before, so why was it so heavy now? His eyes widened as he realized that he was weak… Weaker than he had ever been his whole life. Bankotsu stopped as he came across a small clearing with a stream gushing through it. Unable to move anymore, he collapsed on the ground with his beloved Banryu next to him. _Good-bye life on earth_. Were his last thoughts, _Looks like I'm going to join my brothers in hell soon…_

Sango let go of the breath she had been holding in relief. Her tears had been dried up and she didn't feel like crying anymore. The girl nervously glanced towards the sun, which had almost set all the way now, only a tiny crack of yellow light still peaked through the horizon. If had taken her hours to get this far, it was going to take hours to get back and she definitely did not want to walk alone in the dark. So, the taijiya quickly turned around and started to go at a brisk pace the other way. Sango didn't dare let her mind wander for the fear that she might think of Kohako again, so instead, she paid close attention to the amazingly beautiful nature of the forest. The trees were like graceful dancers as they waved in the wind.

A small stream trickled from somewhere Sango couldn't see. She could only hear the slow moving water, which relaxed her soul. She glanced around to see the small body of water close by. The taijiya felt pulled towards it by some unknown force. She went willingly and sank down in a kneeling position by the bank of the stream. The trees that grew along side the stream were gigantic beauties. A particularly large one caught her eye. It's leaves rustled softly in the air. Sango smiled for the first time that day and was about to look away but something underneath the tree caught her eye. She blinked and took a closer look. From far away it looked like a mere pile of rocks. Sango strained her eyes and saw that what appeared to be rocks was actually a human body. The girl gasped and followed her first instinct, which was to rush toward that person to help him or her.

Sango splashed across the stream, the chilly water splashing her legs, making her shiver, but she ignored that. She had to help the poor person right now.

Bankotsu cracked open an eye as he heard the sound of water. He was shocked to find the girl who traveled with Inuyasha there in front of him. _She's going to kill me if she finds out who I am, _He thought, _So I better not let her find out who I am. _However, he heard a gasp behind him and a female voice calling out his name. _Too late. _Bankotsu thought, disappointedly. _What do I do?_ _I am going to die anyways, but I don't want this wench ending my life shorter than it's going to end. What do I do?_ The man was now desperate for any way to get out of this situation, but couldn't find any way to escape. Bankotsu closed his eyes tightly and held his breath, hoping that the girl didn't make him suffer too much in his death.

Sango warily approached the mercenary, eying his Banryu, which lay on the ground next to him. Her own weapons were close by just in case he attacked. She had only really seen him once, when she was trapped in Naraku's body in Mt. Hakurei, but she was so worried about getting out then that she hadn't really been paying attention to his looks… Sango bit her lip as she crouched down besides him, staring at his face. She had to admit that the mercenary was extremely handsome with strong features, long dark hair, and a muscular body. The taijiya hesitated, and then gently stroked Bankotsu's soft cheek gently. He didn't even flinch. _Is there something wrong with him? _She wondered.

Bankotsu felt chills as the girl's fingers gently caressed his face. _Damn!_ He thought angrily, _That wench isn't going away!_ He thought of getting up and teaching that girl a lesson, but suddenly, a wave of weakness washed over him and it was suddenly hard for him to breathe. Bankotsu kept his eyes closed and waited for Sango to leave him to die alone.

Sango frowned at the man. Was he hurt? _No he can't be. _The girl thought as she checked over his body for injuries. What was wrong then? Sango put down herHiraikotsu on the earthen ground and hesitated, then pulled up her courage and leaned over Bankotsu, her fingers feeling his pulse on his wrist.

The mercenary silently groaned when he felt the girl's fingers checking his pulse, _Now she is going to figure out that I'm alive and she'll kill me. _He thought, praying that his faintly beating heart wasn't going to give him away.

A minute passed... Then two… Then ten… Sango finally let go of the man's wrist, watching it fall on the ground helplessly. Tears sprung up in her eyes. She had felt no beat at all. _Bankotsu is dead_ She thought, sadness filling her small, slim body. Her warm chestnut brown eyes turned dark and stormy as they clouded with her grief. _Why should I care? _She asked herself silently, _He is my enemy after all… I should be glad that he is dead. _However, her traitorous tears spilled out of her eyes, all over her face and they stained the white clothes the mercenary wore.

Bankotsu opened his eyes a crack and peeked through his lashes at the taijiya. W-was she _crying_? Yes, she definitely was, he decided, feeling her tears splatter on his face and hearing her sobs. But _why_? Why was this girl crying over _him_? He was her enemy, having battled her friend Inuyasha, so why was she crying? _Women bewilder me, _Bankotsu thought watching the girl cry harder. The girl swung her arms around his cold, fallen body and held him tight, burying her face in his chest. Bankotsu normally would have stiffened at that but he was in no position to protest right now.

A few minutes passed with Bankotsu getting weaker and more confused. He died to ask her why she was sad for him, but he was too weak to even speak now. Suddenly, he heard her sweet, musical voice, "Bankotsu," She whispered softly, her voice a little shaky from her crying. Bankotsu's faint heart skipped a beat as he felt her warm breath on his face. She was probably really close. "Bankotsu," She repeated again and he felt her warm, trembling fingers touch his forehead, "No, not you too. I can't believe you're dead…" She sighed and buried her face in his clothing. They stayed that way for a while. "I shouldn't do this,"Sango said out loud, "What if someone caught me like this? I would be in huge trouble! What would I say? That Bankotsu was actually a good person despite the fact that he had killed one thousand people? No, I couldn't… But I can't just leave him here…" Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. Sango glanced down at her chest where the Shikon Jewel comfortably hid, "I can't let you die," She said to the man, though she thought that he couldn't hear her, "I _won't_ let you die."

Bankotsu would have frowned, if he could've moved, at her words. What did she mean? He opened his eyes bit again and watched with interest as the girl unbuttoned her kimono and reached inside. To his greatest surprise, she pulled out the Shikon Jewel from within. _The Jewel! _He opened his eyes as wide as he could dare without giving himself away to get a better look. _The girl has the Jewel! _He thought wildly, but then disappointment washed over his body, _With the Jewel, I can get better, but how am I supposed to steal the Jewel in this state? _Bankotsu continued to watch the girl, curious to see what she was going to do with it.

"This is the only way to bring you back," Sango said, clenching the jewel tightly in her right hand, "So, it's worth it." It seemed as though she had stopped thinking for if she were, what she was going to do would have never crossed her mind… Not even in her wildest dreams. Her mind going blank from any thoughts other than saving Bankotsu, she gritted her teeth together and thrust the Shikon Jewel into the mercenary's body.

Bankotsu gaped in surprise as newfound energy, which was 100 times greater than the energy he possessed before growing weak entered his body, radiating from the jewel that had been stuffed in his chest. He was so shocked that the girl had done something like that that he just stayed silent, still trying to take it all in.

Sango sighed as she waited. Nothing had happened. _Perhaps he was already too dead to bring back a third time. _She thought, getting off what she thought was the dead body of the mercenary and turned around, hugging her knees to her chest as her tears spilled out again and sadness overwhelmed her. _At least I tried_, she thought grimly. Her heart broken, Sango rocked back and forth, trying to rid her of her pain, but couldn't. So, she just sat there, broken and alone.

Bankotsu opened his eyes in disbelief. One minute he was close to his death and the next he was more powerful than he had ever been. Even his heart beat more powerfully than ever before. He glanced down at his chest to see the bright pink glow of the jewel next to his heart. _Wow_, was the only word that popped into his head at the moment. He got up and sat there, staring at the girl who had saved his life, completely stunned. Bankotsu felt this odd feeling towards her… What was that feeling? He had never felt this way before. He then realized that it was gratitude. He was so grateful towards this girl that he felt like hugging her. Right now the girl huddled in a tight ball, sobbing in her misery. Bankotsu immediately wanted to rid her of her immense sadness. Getting up, he walked slowly towards her and rested his hand on her shoulder. She jumped up in surprise. Bankotsu smiled, just then realizing how beautiful she was, "Hey, you weren't just crying for me, were you?" He asked in a teasing tone.

Sango quickly turned her head to find Bankotsu behind her smirking slightly. She didn't know what to say. Her emotions twisted within her. On one hand, she felt delighted at him being alive. But she also felt nervous (or was it fear?) of him. Another emotion tugged at her. She felt a bit uncomfortable and shy now that he was alive. Sango quickly dried up her tears with her sleeve, "No, I wasn't crying for you… I was just, um, crying for someone else and you just happened to be there and, um, so I, um, yeah…" She stammered.

Bankotsu's smile widened as his dark eyes met her light chestnut brown ones, "Really?" He asked almost mockingly, "Well then, why were you crying for?"

Sango sighed. She didn't know the mercenary very well, but she had always thought of him as a stubborn airheaded flirt, and he was now proving her right. The taijiya crossed her arms grudgingly over her chest and looked away from his intense gaze, "Why do you care?"

"Well," He said, lazily fetching his Banryu and plopping down on the ground next to her, "I thought for sure that I was going to die, but then this beautiful woman who is supposed to be my enemy saves me and I find her crying. You gave me my life, though we are enemies, so I am curious about you."

Sango flinched at his mention of her being beautiful. No one said that about her anymore… Well, not since she had started traveling with Kagome. _Just wait until this mercenary meets her… He'll forget all about me then. _A sharp pang of jealousy erupted within her. She frowned, _Why should I care what this mercenary thinks about Kagome? _She asked herself, _It's not like I'll get jealous or anything. Every man falls for Kagome…_ Again, jealousy bit into her, but she ignored it. She was a warrior, a taijiya and taijiyas weren't supposed to be beautiful, they were only supposed to be strong and honorable. Sango thought about what Bankotsu had said. _Wait a minute… _"You were still alive when I found you?" She asked, her face flushing red. _That means… That means he would have heard all I said about him!_

"Of course. It takes a lot to kill me, " Bankotsu grinned as he realized that the girl was blushing, "What's wrong? Are you afraid that your boyfriend the mutt is going to find out about this?"

Sango paused for a moment, trying to think of whom he was talking about. Then it hit her, "Oh, you mean Inuyasha?" She watched him nod, "Oh, no, no, we're just friends! Nothing else!"

For some odd reason, that made Bankotsu feel better. _Good, well the mutt doesn't deserve someone as damn pretty as this girl. _"Well, how about the monk?"

Sango felt her cheeks burn at the question. What about Miroku? Did she love him? _I do, don't I? _She had always thought that she loved Miroku, but now that Bankotsu had asked her, she didn't know anymore. Of course she did! She remembered how she had blushed when he had proposed to her… It had made her heart pound… much like it was right now. The girl gasped. Why was her heart acting the same way for the mercenary as it had for Miroku? She realized that she had also blushed when Bankotsu had told her that she was beautiful… Could it be that she thought she had loved Miroku because he liked her? _No, it can't be. It's impossible… Is it?_

Bankotsu watched the girl fall silent and envy invaded his newly formed heart. "So it is the monk." He said, pretending not to care as he knitted his hands together behind his head.

_No it isn't! _"I don't really know." Sango felt her face growing warmer so she quickly changed the subject, "So what about you? Why you dying when I found you?"

Anger flashed in the mercenary's eyes, but other than that, there was no emotion showing on his face, "Naraku, " He simply said.

"Naraku?" Sango repeated, confused, "But I thought that you were working for Naraku, so why did he do that to you?"

Bankotsu got up from the ground and walked a few paces away from her, his back turned to her in case he let emotion show in his face, "He was angry at me for not fulfilling my duty in killing Inuyasha and the bastard thought that he hadn't punished me enough, so he summoned me again from my grave and gave me a small blast of life which would disappear slowly over the hours, so I could die in pain." The man explained briefly, not wanting to remember what had happened. Then he glanced over at the girl who eyes had clouded over once more. "But how did you get the jewel away from Naraku? Knowing him, it would be impossible to get your hands on the jewel." He glanced down at his chest, which was still glowing pink in his vision from the power of the Jewel.

Sango's eyes quickly brightened up, "You haven't heard?"

"Heard what?"

"Naraku's dead!"

Bankotsu blinked, wondering if he had heard right, "What?"

Sango sighed, "You heard me; Naraku is dead!"

Bankotsu frowned, "Y-you're kidding, right?" If what this girl said was true, then all his problems would be gone.  
"Why would I lie?" The girl asked, cocking her head at him, "I saw it with my own eyes, we killed him! He's gone forever!"

"You're serious?" The mercenary's eyes widened, "No way! Shit, that's great!" _Could it be? _He wondered, _It had to be! The girl had proof and it was in his body. _Overjoyed, Bankotsu suddenly went up to the girl and wrapped his strong arms around her in an embrace, "Thank you," He muttered in her ear softly.

Stunned, Sango just stood there, feeling his warmth seep into her body. She would have never ever had thought that the Bankotsu, leader of the band of seven, the man with a bigger ego than anyone else in the world could actually _thank _someone. Embarrassed, she said, "Hey, don't give me all the credit… Inuyasha and Kagome did most of the fighting." She didn't feel like mentioning Miroku again… It made her feel cold inside.

Bankotsu made a face, _Yeah right, like the mutt could have done anything against Naraku. _But he didn't say that. Instead he gazed into her eyes and said, "Yeah, sure, but neither of them gave up the Shikon jewel to save me, did they? And I doubt they would if they were in your position." He saw the girl smile and look away, "Hey, I keep on forgetting, what's your name again?"

The demon slayer scowled, slightly offended, but she told him, nonetheless, "It's Sango." She said, trying to break apart from their extended embrace.

Bankotsu smirked and removed his arms from their position around her thin waist, "So, Sango," He said, testing out her name. He loved the way it tasted on his tongue, "Will you answer me one question that I have been curious to find out ever since we first met?"

"Sure," Sango said, looking determinedly at the ground.

"Why the heck does a pretty little girl like you travel with bastards like the mutt and the monk," He asked, frowning slightly.

Sango frowned slightly at the mention of being a 'little girl', "Hey, watch it! I'm not that much younger than you!"

"Really?" The mercenary asked, a slight smirk on his face, "And how old are you? Thirteen, fourteen, perhaps?"

"Seventeen!" She declared, her lips pursed together angrily.

"Seriously? You could have had me fooled!" Bankotsu said in a teasing tone.

"Oh, and how old are you?" The girl declared hotly, "You act like a twelve-year-old!"

"That hurts me so bad," He retorted sarcastically, "And, for your information, I'm not really sure how old I am… I died when I was nineteen, and I forget how many years I spent in my grave… I think it was about 10… So, I would have to say that I am around twenty-nine or thirty," He said almost proudly.

Sango glared at him, "Hey, no fair! The years you spent dead don't count!" They both stood there, glaring at each other before Bankotsu crossed his arms across his chest and turned away from the girl.

"Keh, it so _does _count!" He muttered childishly.

"Nuh uh! If you think about it, how old you are is determined by the years you spend in this world, on earth. But, you were dead for like 10 years, which stopped your life and you can't age when you're dead, right?" Sango reasoned smugly, "Which means that you are only 19."

Bankotsu thought for a moment. _Damn! She's right! _He didn't let what he was thinking show on his face though. "That makes absolutely no sense!" He declared, though it made perfect sense, "Well, either way, you're still younger than me, so there!" He pouted.

Sango couldn't help it. She tried to keep a straight face, but couldn't keep it. She fought for a moment then gave in and burst into laughter, "My god! You act like such a baby!" She exclaimed, forgetting for a moment that the man in front of her was a dangerous mercenary.

Bankotsu couldn't help but crack a smile at her laughter. _She has a gorgeous smile. _He couldn't help but admit to himself. That smile quickly disappeared, "Hey, you forgot to answer my question!"

Sango thought for a moment about what he was talking about, and then remembered his question about why she was traveling with Inuyasha and the others, "I had no choice, really,"

The man frowned at her, "What'd you mean? You seem to like your little friends a lot."

The taijiya looked at him, her eyes cloudy, "Naraku, h-he possessed my brother and forced him to kill all the villagers, my family… and me." She said, her face sad and solemn.

"Oh," Bankotsu said, suddenly sorry for her. He hesitatingly approached her until they were so close that they were almost touching, "Go on."

"My brother didn't manage to kill me, though. I had just received a huge permanent scar on my back from his attack," Sango said, now whispering, "Then, Naraku convinced me that Inuyasha was the one who had possessed my brother so I went to kill him, but then I found out I was being played by Naraku and then… I don't know…" She shrugged, "I have just been with Inuyasha and the others ever since…"

Bankotsu frowned, saddened by Sango's story. _She seems so familiar. _He thought. _Have I seen her before? _"And what did you say was your brother's name?"

"It was Kohaku," Sango said, sad to even say his name again.

Suddenly, it all fit together, "Wait, you're the ninja's sister? I thought you were a demon slayer!"

"I am a demon slayer," Sango said, confused, "And Kohaku was a demon slayer as well… What ninja?"

"The little boy ninja who was under Naraku's command…. Was he your brother?"

Sango stiffened, "You knew him?"

"Well, we weren't exactly bosom buddies, but yeah, I knew him."

The girl saddened again, but forced herself not to cry over the memory of her dead brother. Bankotsu felt sorry for the girl. Losing a brother was very painful… He should know, losing six of his brothers. Sango kept her head down, not daring to look at the mercenary. Bankotsu tried his best to comfort the girl, putting his arm around her. To his surprise, Sango hugged back, hiding her face in his chest. The mercenary smiled and rubbed her back reassuringly. No tears fell from Sango's eyes. She was too cried out. Instead, she sighed and nervously glanced at Bankotsu in the eye. He calmly gazed back into her warm chocolaty ones.

Sango had never paid much attention to his eyes before, but she had always thought that it was some kind of dark color, like black or brown, but now that she was up close to him and hugging him, she realized that she was wrong. His eyes looked black but as looked closer she could see blue coloring flickering around in the iris. When Bankotsu looked into the sun, his eyes were almost a pale azure color but when he was in the dark, his eyes appeared much darker, almost black. The mercenary's eyes were shaped in an odd way that almost always made him look like he was laughing. Sango smiled at the man as her fingers traced imaginary shapes on his face. They were close… Much too close for comfort. A few more inches closer and… Sango closed her eyes, quickly shaking that perverted thought out of her head. However, it kept on coming back. _No one's here to see…_ Said the voice inside her head. _Bankotsu probably wouldn't even resist… No! _Her reasonable part of her argued back, _I couldn't do that!_

As though reading her thoughts, Bankotsu smiled at the girl who nestled against him. _Though she is supposed to be my enemy, I can't help but fall for her… _The mercenary thought grimly, _If only she wasn't so damn pretty…_ Unable to help himself anymore, Bankotsu cupped the girl's cheek in one hand and leaned over and to Sango's horror (or was it to her joy?) his lips met hers in a rough kiss.

Sango gasped as she felt her heart twist like crazy in her chest. A tornado of emotions swept through her. Joy, sadness, love, and disgust were all part of the tornado. She froze with surprise and didn't move, too stunned. After a moment or two of the kiss, the demon slayer snapped back into her senses and tried to break free of the kiss.

Seeing her do that, Bankotsu wrapped his leg around hers, imprisoning her. It could have been hours, for it felt like it, but only a minute had passed. Finally, Bankotsu took his lips off of hers, nervously glancing into Sango's eyes to see how she felt about their kiss. Her eyes looked dreamy, as though she was in a daze or something.

Sango suddenly broke out of her daze. Realizing that she had been holding her breath the whole time, she gasped, sucking in as much oxygen as she could manage without making her lungs explode. Bankotsu smirked at her. _She seems so naïve! _"What, have you never been kissed before?" He asked sarcastically, releasing her from their hug.

The girl felt her blood rush from their kiss. Almost embarrassedly, she looked away and whispered, "No."

Bankotsu blinked, that single word she spoke catching him by surprise, "What? How can it be that someone as damn pretty as you has never been kissed before?"

Sango hung her head down, but didn't answer. _I would have never expected Bankotsu out of all people in the world to be the first one I kiss. _Suddenly, it hit her; _I've been kissed by Bankotsu! No! Now I'm ruined! Oh, what do I do? _But there was nothing to do. Once you're kissed, you can't take it back. A moth suddenly appeared out of nowhere, almost hitting Sango in the face. _Damn that stupid moth!_ She thought angrily. Her eyes widened at what she had thought, _Is Bankotsu rubbing off on me? _She didn't want that, "You- you're ruining me!" She said, her eyes wide, "You're tainting me!"

Bankotsu was confused at her words for a moment. Then he realized what she had said. "Oh, no, no! I'm not going to sleep with you, I'm much too tired today!" It appeared that he had only heard the word 'taint' and was assuming his own things. Then he paused as he considered things over, "Hm, but if you really want it, you can see me again tomorrow night…"

Sango frowned, not getting what he said. She blushed red as the meaning of his words came to her, "No! I was saying that you tainted me with the kiss! It wasn't an invitation to sleep with me!"

"Oh… Well, tell me when you are handing out the invitations," He said with a grin, "I definitely want to receive one."

The taijiya glowed crimson as she folded her arms across her chest, as though she thought he was looking, which he was. "I'm going to have horrible nightmares about this," She said, quietly.

However, the mercenary heard. His smirk quickly turned into a pout, "Hey, do you know how _many _women would die to be in your position?"

"How many?" Sango asked, raising an eyebrow.

Bankotsu bit his lip, "Um, well, a lot!"

The girl laughed, her eyes glistening as her mouth curled up in a smile, "Fine, I'm sorry, happy? I was just causally mentioning how I was going to have bad memories."  
"Humph," He said, not satisfied with her apology.

Sango was now slightly nervous. Had she pushed one too many of his buttons? She took a few steps back, almost crashing into a tall pine tree with a wild blue daisy growing down near its base. She plucked the flower and twirled it in her hand, nervously and didn't look or say anything to Bankotsu.

The mercenary frowned as he noticed the girl walking away from him. _Is she afraid of me?_ He questioned silently. _Well, she certainly was if she was all stiff like that all of a sudden_. He thought unhappily. Wanting to gain back her trust, he approached Sango, who was pretending to be terribly interested in her daisy, and embraced her. Before she could protest, he had forced his mouth on hers in a crushing kiss, his leg entangled with hers to prevent her from escaping.

The taijiya was relieved in an odd way when she felt his lips on hers. _At least he's not mad at me. _She thought and without thinking about the consequences, she kissed the mercenary back, though she remembered to breathe.

Bankotsu exhaled softly, glad that she was okay with him. One hand massaged her neck while the other one was wrapped tightly against her waist to make them as close as possible without having to shed their clothes. Taking their kiss up another notch, Bankotsu parted his lips and used his tongue to force open her mouth in a passionate kiss.

Sango's legs wobbled and she held on to the mercenary for support as she felt his tongue tangling with hers. A few seconds passed and Bankotsu removed his lips from hers. Giving the girl a smirk, he removed himself from her and began to walk away.

Slightly dizzy from the kiss, Sango called after him, "Hey, what was that for?"

Bankotsu spun around to stare at her beautiful brown eyes, "So that you'll have bad memories about your second kiss," He said, teasingly.

Sango frowned slightly as the he walked away. _He's so odd; I'll never understand him! _She thought, sighing softly as she watched him walk away into the deeper parts of the forest. Not wanting to think about him, she stared at the daisy that was in her hand but then realized that it wasn't there. Sango smiled as she realized that Bankotsu had stolen her flower.


End file.
